Electronic aerosol provision system

ABSTRACT

An aerosol provision device for use with an aerosol generating article including aerosol generating material having one or more aerosol generating components arranged to aerosolize different portions of the aerosol generating material and control circuitry for supplying power to the one or more aerosol generating components, the control circuitry is configured to perform an aerosolization process on a first portion of the aerosol generating material on at least two separate occasions.

RELATED APPLICATION INFORMATION

The present application is a National Phase entry of PCT Application No.PCT/EP2020/083781, filed Nov. 27, 2020, which claims priority from GBPatent Application No. 1917471.3, filed Nov. 29, 2019, each of which ishereby fully incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to non-combustible aerosol provisionsystems.

BACKGROUND

Electronic aerosol provision systems such as electronic cigarettes(e-cigarettes) generally contain a reservoir of a source liquidcontaining a formulation, typically including nicotine, from which anaerosol is generated, e.g. through heat vaporization. An aerosol sourcefor an aerosol provision system may thus comprise a heater having aheating element arranged to receive source liquid from the reservoir,for example through wicking/capillary action. While a user inhales onthe device, electrical power is supplied to the heating element tovaporize source liquid in the vicinity of the heating element togenerate an aerosol for inhalation by the user. Such devices are usuallyprovided with one or more air inlet holes located away from a mouthpieceend of the system. When a user sucks on a mouthpiece connected to themouthpiece end of the system, air is drawn in through the inlet holesand past the aerosol source. There is a flow path connecting between theaerosol source and an opening in the mouthpiece so that air drawn pastthe aerosol source continues along the flow path to the mouthpieceopening, carrying some of the aerosol from the aerosol source with it.The aerosol-carrying air exits the aerosol provision system through themouthpiece opening for inhalation by the user.

Other aerosol provision devices generate aerosol from a solid material,such as tobacco or a tobacco derivative. Such devices operate in abroadly similar manner to the liquid-based systems described above, inthat the solid tobacco material is heated to a vaporization temperatureto generate an aerosol which is subsequently inhaled by a user. in someexample systems, an entire portion of tobacco material is heatedconstantly for the duration of a session (i.e., for multiple userinhalations).

When a bulk solid material is heated, this can be an inefficient processboth in terms of the energy required to heat the bulk solid material andalso the time required for the bulk material to reach an aerosolgeneration temperature can be quite lengthy.

Various approaches are described which seek to help address some ofthese issues.

SUMMAR V

According to a first aspect of certain embodiments there is provided anaerosol provision device for use with an aerosol generating articlecomprising aerosol generating material, the aerosol provision devicecomprising: one or more aerosol generating components arranged toaerosolize different portions of the aerosol generating material; andcontrol circuitry for supplying power to the one or more aerosolgenerating components, wherein the control circuitry is configured toperform an aerosolization process on a first portion of the aerosolgenerating material on at least two separate occasions.

According to various embodiments the control circuitry may be configuredto perform an aerosolization process on a first portion of the aerosolgenerating, material on at least three, four, five, six, seven, eight,nine, ten or more than ten separate occasions.

The control circuitry may be configured to cause aerosolization of oneportion of aerosol generating material at any one time.

The control circuitry may be configured to perform an aerosolizationprocess on the first portion of aerosol generating material on twoseparate occasions.

The one or more aerosol generating components may be heating elements.

The control circuitry may be configured to cause heating of a firstportion of the aerosol generating material at least on two separateoccasions before causing heating of a second portion of the aerosolgenerating material.

The control circuitry may be configured to cause sequential heating ofeach portion of aerosol generating material on one occasion, beforecausing heating of the first portion of aerosol generating material on asecond occasion.

The control circuitry may be configured to receive a signal signifying ausers intent to generate aerosol, and in response to receiving thesignal, cause heating of a portion of the aerosol generating material.

The control circuitry may be configured to heat the one or more heatingelements to a. temperature no greater than 350° C.

The control circuitry may be configured to heat the one or more heatingelements to an operational temperature at which aerosol is generated forno longer than 10 consecutive seconds.

Each heating element may have an areal extent no greater than 130 mm².

The aerosol generating material may be an amorphous solid.

The amorphous solid may have a thickness in the range of 0.05 mm to 2mm.

According to a second aspect of certain embodiments there is provided anaerosol provision system for generating aerosol from an aerosolgenerating material, wherein the system comprises: an aerosol generatingarticle comprising a plurality of portions of aerosol generatingmaterial; one or more aerosol generating components arranged toaerosolize different portions of the aerosol generating material; andcontrol circuitry for supplying power to the one or more aerosolgenerating components, wherein the control circuitry is configured toperform an aerosolization process on a first portion of the aerosolgenerating material on at least two separate occasions.

The second aspect may include any of the optional features describedherein in relation to the first aspect.

According to a third aspect of certain embodiments there is provided anaerosol generating article comprising a plurality of portions of aerosolgenerating material, wherein each of the plurality of portions ofaerosol generating material has a thickness of between 0.05 mm to 2 mm

According to a fourth aspect of certain embodiments there is provided amethod of generating aerosol from an aerosol generating articlecomprising aerosol generating material, method comprising; performing afirst aerosolization process on a first portion of the aerosolgenerating material; and performing a second aerosolization process onthe first portion of the aerosol generating material, wherein the firstand second aerosolization processes are separate from one another.

According to a fifth aspect of certain embodiments there is provided anaerosol provision device for use with an aerosol generating articlecomprising aerosol generating material, the aerosol provision devicecomprising: one or more aerosol generating means arranged to aerosolizedifferent portions of the aerosol generating material; and control meansfor supplying power to the one or more aerosol generating means, whereinthe control means is configured to perform an aerosolization process ona first portion of the aerosol generating material on at least twoseparate occasions.

It will be appreciated that features and aspects of the inventiondescribed above in relation to the first and other aspects of theinvention are equally applicable to, and may be combined with,embodiments of the invention according to other aspects of the inventionas appropriate, and not just in the specific combinations describedabove.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of exampleonly, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a cross-section of a schematic representation of an aerosolprovision system comprising an aerosol provision device and a aerosolgenerating article, the device comprising a plurality of heatingelements and the article comprising a plurality of portions of aerosolgenerating material;

FIGS. 2A to 2C are a variety of views from different angles of theaerosol provision article of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 3 is cross-sectional, top-down view of the heating elements of theaerosol provision device of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 4 is an example method in accordance with aspects of the presentdisclosure for heating a plurality of portions of aerosol generatingmaterial using the device of FIG. 1 , wherein each portion of aerosolgenerating material is heated on at least two occasions;

FIG. 5 is an example of a cross-section of a schematic representation ofan aerosol provision system comprising an aerosol provision device and aaerosol generating article, the device comprising a plurality ofinduction work coils and the article comprising a plurality of portionsof aerosol generating material and corresponding susceptor portions; and

FIGS. 6A to 6C are a variety of views from different angles of theaerosol provision article of FIG. 5 .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Aspects and features of certain examples and embodiments arediscussed/described herein. Some aspects and features of certainexamples and embodiments may be implemented conventionally and these arenot discussed/described in detail in the interests of brevity. it willthus be appreciated that aspects and features of apparatus and methodsdiscussed herein which are not described in detail may be implemented inaccordance with any conventional techniques for implementing suchaspects and features.

The present disclosure relates to a “non-combustible” aerosol provisionsystem. A “non-combustible” aerosol provision system is one where aconstituent aerosolizable material of the aerosol provision system (orcomponent thereof) is not combusted or burned in order to facilitatedelivery of an aerosol to a user. Furthermore, and as is common in thetechnical field, the terms “vapor” and “aerosol”, and related terms suchas “vaporize”, “volatilize” and “aerosolize”, may generally be usedinterchangeably.

In some implementations, the non-combustible aerosol provision system isan electronic cigarette, also known as a vaping device or electronicnicotine delivery system (END), although it is noted that the presenceof nicotine in the aerosolizable material is not a requirement.Throughout the following description the term “e-cigarette” or“electronic cigarette” is sometimes used but this term may be usedinterchangeably with aerosol (vapor) provision system. Typically, thenon-combustible aerosol provision system may comprise a non-combustibleaerosol provision device and an article (sometimes referred to as aconsumable) for use with the non-combustible aerosol provision device.However, it is envisaged that articles which themselves comprise a meansfor powering an aerosol generating component may themselves form thenon-combustible aerosol provision system.

The article, part or all of which, is intended to be consumed during useby a user. The article may comprise or consist of aerosolizablematerial. article may comprise one or more other elements, such as afilter or an aerosol modifying substance (e.g. a component to add aflavor to, or otherwise alter the properties of, an aerosol that passesthrough or over the aerosol modifying substance).

Non-combustible aerosol provision systems often, though not always,comprise a modular assembly including both a reusable aerosol provisiondevice and a replaceable article. In some implementations, thenon-combustible aerosol provision device may comprise a power source anda controller (or control circuitry). The power source may, for example,be an electric power source, such as a battery or rechargeable battery.In some implementations, the non-combustible aerosol provision devicemay also comprise an aerosol generating, component. However, in otherimplementations the article may comprise partially, or entirely, theaerosol generating component.

In some implementations, the aerosol generating component is a heatercapable of interacting with the aerosolizable material so as to releaseone or more volatiles from the aerosolizable material to form anaerosol. In some embodiments, the aerosol generating component iscapable of generating an aerosol from the aerosolizable material withoutheating. For example, the aerosol generating component may be capable ofgenerating an aerosol from the aerosolizable material without applyingheat thereto, for example via one or more of vibrational, mechanical,pressurization or electrostatic means.

The article for use with the non-combustible aerosol provision devicegenerally comprises an aerosolizable material. Aerosolizable material,which also may be referred to herein as aerosol generating material, ismaterial that is capable of generating aerosol, for example when heated,irradiated or energized in any other way. Aerosolizable material may,for example, be in the form of a solid, liquid or gel which may or maynot contain nicotine and/or flavorants. In the following disclosure, theaerosolizable material is described as comprising an “amorphous solid”,which may alternatively be referred to as a “monolithic solid” (i.e.non-fibrous). In some implementations, the amorphous solid may be adried gel. The amorphous solid is a solid material that may retain somefluid, such as liquid, within it. In some implementations, theaerosolizable material may for example comprise from about 50 wt %, 60wt % or 70 wt % of amorphous solid, to about 90 wt %, 95 wt % or 100 wt% of amorphous solid. However, it should be appreciated that principlesof the present disclosure may be applied to other aerosolizablematerials, such as tobacco, reconstituted tobacco, a liquid, such as ane-liquid, etc.

As appropriate, the aerosolizable material may comprise any one or moreof: an active constituent, a carrier constituent, a flavor, and one ormore other functional constituents.

The active constituent as used herein may be a physiologically activematerial, which is a material intended to achieve or enhance aphysiological response. The active constituent may for example beselected from nutraceuticals, nootropics, psychoactives. The activeconstituent may be naturally occurring or synthetically obtained. Theactive constituent may comprise for example nicotine, caffeine, taurine,theine, vitamins such as B6 or B12 or C, melatonin, cannabinoids, orconstituents, derivatives, or combinations thereof. The activeconstituent may comprise one or more constituents, derivatives orextracts of tobacco, cannabis or another botanical. As noted herein, theactive constituent may comprise one or more constituents, derivatives orextracts of cannabis, such as one or more cannabinoids or terpenes.

In some embodiments, the active constituent comprises nicotine. In someembodiments, the active constituent comprises caffeine, melatonin orvitamin B12.

As noted herein, the active constituent may comprise or be derived fromone or more botanicals or constituents, derivatives or extracts thereof.As used herein, the term “botanical” includes any material derived fromplants including, but not limited to, extracts, leaves, bark, fibres,stems, roots, seeds, flowers, fruits, pollen, husk, shells or the like.Alternatively, the material may comprise an active compound naturallyexisting, in a botanical, obtained synthetically. The. material may bein the form of liquid, gas, solid, powder, dust, crushed particles,granules, pellets, shreds, strips, sheets, or the like.

Example botanicals are tobacco, eucalyptus, star anise, hemp, cocoa,cannabis, fennel, lemongrass, peppermint, spearmint, rooibos, chamomile,flax, ginger, ginkgo biloba, hazel, hibiscus, laurel, licorice(liquorice), matcha, mate, orange skin, papaya, rose, sage, tea such asgreen tea or black tea, thyme, clove. cinnamon, coffee, aniseed (anise),basil, bay leaves, cardamom, coriander, cumin, nutmeg, oregano, paprika,rosemary, saffron, lavender, lemon peel, mint, juniper, elderflower,vanilla, wintergreen, beefsteak plant, curcuma, turmeric, sandalwood,cilantro, bergamot, orange blossom, myrtle, cassis, valerian, pimento,mace, dainien, marjoram, olive, lemon balm, lemon basil, chive, carni,verbena, tarragon, geranium, mulberry, ginseng, Mealline, theacrine,maca, ashwagandha, damiana, guarana, chlorophyll, baobab or anycombination thereof. The mint may be chosen from the following mintvarieties: Mentha Arventis, Mentha c.v., Mentha niliaca, Menthapiperita, Mentha piperita citrata c.v.,Mentha piperita c.v, Menthaspicata crispa, Mentha cardifolia, Memtha longifolia, Mentha suaveolensvariegata, Mentha pulegium, Mentha spicata c.v. and Mentha suaveolens

In some embodiments, the active constituent comprises or is derived fromone or more botanicals or constituents, derivatives or extracts thereofand the botanical is tobacco.

In some embodiments, the active constituent comprises or derived fromone or more botanicals or constituents, derivatives or extracts thereofand the botanical is selected from eucalyptus, star anise, cocoa andhemp.

In some embodiments, the active constituent comprises or derived fromone or more botanicals or constituents, derivatives or extracts thereofand the botanical is selected from rooibos and fennel.

In some implementations, the aerosolizable material comprises a flavor(or flavorant).

As used herein, the terms “flavor” and “flavorant” refer to materialswhich, where local regulations pennit, may be used to create a desiredtaste, aroma or other somatosensorial sensation in a product for adult.consumers, They may include naturally occurring flavor materials,botanicals, extracts of botanicals, synthetically obtained materials, orcombinations thereof (e.g., tobacco, cannabis, licorice (liquorice),hydrangea, eugenol, Japanese white bark magnolia leaf, chamomile,fenugreek, clove, maple, inatcha, menthol, Japanese mint, aniseed(anise), cinnamon, turmeric, Indian spices, Asian spices, herb,wintergreen, cherry, berry, red berry, cranberry, peach, apple, orange,mango, clementine, lemon, lime, tropical fruit, papaya, rhubarb, grape,(Julian, dragon fruit, cucumber, blueberry, mulberry, citrus fruits,Drambuie, bourbon, scotch, whiskey, gin, tequila, rum, spearmint,peppermint, lavender, aloe vera, cardamom, celery, cascarilla, nutmeg,sandalwood, bergamot, geranium, khat, naswar, betel, shisha, pine, honeyessence, rose oil, vanilla, lemon oil, orange oil, orange blossom,cherry blossom, cassia, caraway, cognac, jasmine, ylang-ylang, sage,fennel, wasabi, piment, ginger, coriander, coffee, hemp, a mint oil fromany species of the genus Mentha, eucalyptus, star anise, cocoa,lemongrass, rooibos, flax, ginkgo biloba, hazel, hibiscus, laurel, mate,orange skin, rose, tea such as green tea or black tea, thyme, juniper,elderflower, basil, bay leaves, cumin, oregano, paprika, rosemary,saffron, lemon peel, mint, beefsteak plant, curcuma, cilantro, myrtle,cassis, valerian, pimento, mace, darnien, marjoram, olive, lemon balm,lemon basil, chive, verbena, tarragon, limonene, thymol, camphene),flavor enhancers, bitterness receptor site blockers, sensorial receptorsite activators or stimulators, sugars and/or sugar substitutes (e.g.,sucralose, acesulfame potassium, aspartame, saccharine, cyclamates,lactose, sucrose, glucose, fructose, sorbitol, or mannitol), and otheradditives such as charcoal, chlorophyll, minerals, botanicals, or breathfreshening agents. They may be imitation, synthetic or naturalingredients or blends thereof. They may be in any suitable form, forexample, liquid such as an oil, solid such as a powder, or gas.

In some embodiments, the flavor comprises menthol, spearmint and/orpeppermint. In some embodiments, the flavor comprises flavor componentsof cucumber, blueberry, citrus fruits and/or redberry. in someembodiments, the flavor comprises eugenol. In some embodiments, theflavor comprises flavor components extracted from tobacco. In someembodiments, the flavor comprises flavor components extracted fromcannabis.

In some embodiments, the flavor may comprise a sensate, which isintended to achieve a somatosensorial sensation which are usuallychemically induced and perceived by the stimulation of the fifth cranialnerve (trigeminal nerve), in addition to or in place of aroma or tastenerves, and these may include agents providing heating, cooling,tingling, numbing effect. A suitable heat effect agent may he, but isnot limited to, vanillyl ethyl ether and a suitable cooling agent maybe, but not limited to eucolyptol, WS-3.

The carrier constituent may comprise one or more constituents capable offorming an aerosol. In some embodiments, the carrier constituent maycomprise one or more of glycerine, glycerol, propylene glycol,diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol,1,3-butylene glycol, erythritol, meso-Erythritol, ethyl vanillate, ethyllaurate, a diethyl suberate, triethyl citrate, triacetin, a diacetinmixture, benzyl benzoate, benzyl phenyl acetate, tributyrin, laurylacetate, lauric acid, myristic acid, and propylene carbonate.

In some embodiments, die carrier constituent comprises one or morepolyhydric alcohols, such as propylene glycol, triethylene glycol,1,3-butanediol and glycerin; esters of polyhydric alcohols, such asglycerol mono-, di- or triacetate and/or aliphatic esters of mono-, di-or polvcarboxvlic acids, such as dimethyl dodecanedioate and dirnethyltetradecanedioate.

The one or more other functional constituents may comprise one or moreof pH regulators, coloring agents, preservatives, binders, fillers,stabilizers, and/or antioxidants.

The aerosolizable material may also comprise an acid. The acid may be anorganic acid. In some of these embodiments, the acid may be at least oneof a monoprotic acid, a diprotic acid and a triprotic acid. In some suchembodiments, the acid may contain at least one carboxyl functionalgroup. In some such embodiments, the acid may be at least one of analpha-hydroxy acid, carboxylic acid, dicarboxylic acid, tricarboxylicacid and keto acid. In some such embodiments, the acid may be analpha-keto acid. In some such embodiments, the acid may be at least oneof succinic acid, lactic acid, benzoic acid, citric acid, tartaric acid,fumaric acid, levulinic acid, acetic acid, malic acid, formic acid,sorbic acid, benzoic acid, propanoic and pyruvic acid.

Suitably the acid is lactic acid. In other embodiments, the acid isbenzoic acid. In other embodiments the acid may be an inorganic acid. Insome of these embodiments the acid may be a mineral acid. in some suchembodiments, the acid may be at least one of sulphuric acid,hydrochloric acid, boric acid and phosphoric acid. In some embodiments,the acid is levulinic acid.

The inclusion of an acid is particularly preferred in embodiments inwhich the aerosolizable material comprises nicotine. In suchembodiments, the presence of an acid may stabilize dissolved species inthe slurry from which the aerosolizable material is formed. The presenceof the acid may reduce or substantially prevent evaporation of nicotineduring drying of the slurry, thereby reducing loss of nicotine duringmanufacturing.

In some embodiments, the aerosolizable material comprises one or morecannabinoid compounds selected from the group consisting of: cannabidiol(CBD), tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA),cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), cannabinol (CBN), cannahigerol (CBG),cannabichromene (CBC), cannabicycloi (CBL), cannahivarin (CBV),tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV), cannabidivarin (CBDV), cannabichromevarin(CBCV), carmabigerovarin (CBGV), cannabigerol monomethyl ether (CBGM)and cannabielsoin (CBE), cannabicitran (CBT).

The aerosolizable material may comprise one or more cannabinoidcompounds selected from the group consisting of cannabidiol (CBD) andTHC (tetrahydrocannabinol).

The aerosolizable material may comprise cannabidiol (CBD).

The aerosolizable material may comprise nicotine and cannabidiol (CBD).

The aerosolizable material may comprise nicotine, cannabidiol (CBD),and. THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). The aerosolizable material may bepresent on or in a carrier support (or carrier component) to form asubstrate. The carrier support may, for example, be or comprise paper,card, paperboard, cardboard, reconstituted aerosolizable material, aplastics material, a ceramic material, a composite material, glass, ametal, or a metal alloy.

In some implementations, the article for use with the non-combustibleaerosol provision device may comprise aerosolizable material or an areafor receiving aerosolizable material.

In some implementations, the article for use with the non-conibustibleaerosol provision device may comprise a mouthpiece, or alternatively thenon-combustible aerosol provision device may comprise a mouthpiece whichcommunicates with the article. The area for receiving aerosolizablematerial may be a storage area for storing aerosolizable material.

For example, the storage area may be a reservoir.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view through a schematic representation ofan aerosol provision system 1 in accordance with certain embodiments ofthe disclosure. The aerosol provision system 1 comprises two maincomponents, namely an aerosol provision device 2 and an aerosolgenerating article 4.

The aerosol provision device 2 comprises an outer housing 21, a powersource 22, control circuitry 23, a plurality of aerosol generatingcomponents 24, a receptacle 25, a mouthpiece end 26, an air inlet 27, anair outlet 28, a touch-sensitive panel 29, an inhalation sensor 30, andan end of use indicator 31.

The outer housing 21 may be formed from any suitable material, forexample a plastics material. The outer housing 21 is arranged such thatthe power source 22, control circuitry 23, aerosol generating components24, receptacle 25 and inhalation sensor 30 are located within the outerhousing 21. The outer housing 21 also defines the air inlet 27 and airoutlet 28, described in more detail below. The touch sensitive panel 29and end of use indicator are located on the exterior of the outerhousing 21.

The outer housing 21 further includes a mouthpiece end 26. The outerhousing 21 and mouthpiece end 26 are formed as a single component (thatis, the mouthpiece end 26 forms a part of the outer housing 213. Themouthpiece end 26 is defined as a region of the outer housing 21 whichincludes the air outlet 28 and is shaped in such a way that a user maycomfortably place their lips around the mouthpiece end 26 to engage withair outlet 28. In FIG. 1 , the thickness of the outer housing 21decreases towards the air outlet 28 to provide a relatively thinnerportion of the device 2 which may be more easily accommodated by thelips of a user. In other implementations, however, the mouthpiece end 26may be a removable component that is separate from but able to becoupled to the outer housing 21, and may be removed for cleaning and/orreplacement with another mouthpiece end 26.

The power source 22 is configured to provide operating, power to theaerosol provision device 2. The power source 22 may be any suitablepower source, such as a battery. For example, the power source 22 maycomprise a rechargeable battery, such as a Lithium Ion battery. Thepower source 22 may be removable or form an integrated part of theaerosol provision device 2. In some implementations, the power source 22may be recharged through connection of the device 2 to an external powersupply (such as mains power) through an associated connection port, suchas a USB port (not shown) or via a suitable wireless receiver (notshown). The control circuitry 23 is suitably configured/programmed tocontrol the operation of the aerosol provision device to provide certainoperating functions of aerosol provision device 2. The control circuitry23 may be considered to logically comprise various sub-units/circuitryelements associated with different aspects of the aerosol provisiondevices operation. For example, the control circuitry 23 may comprise alogical sub-unit for controlling the recharging of the power source 22,Additionally, the control circuitry 23 may comprise a logical sub-unitfor communication, e.g, to facilitate data transfer from or to thedevice 2. However, a primary function of the control circuitry 23 is tocontrol the aerosolization of aerosol generating material, as describedin more detail below. It will be appreciated the functionality of thecontrol circuitry 23 can be provided in various different ways, forexample using one or more suitably programmed programmable computer(s)and/or one or more suitably configured application-specific integratedcircuit(s)/circuitry/chip(s) chipset(s) configured to provide thedesired functionality. The control circuitry 23 is connected to thepower supply 23 and receives power from the power source 22 and may beconfigured to distribute or control the power supply to other componentsof the aerosol provision device 2.

In the described implementation, the aerosol provision device 2 furthercomprises a receptacle 25 which is arranged to receive an aerosolgenerating article 4.

The aerosol generating article 4 comprises a carrier component 42 andaerosol generating material 44. The aerosol generating article 4 isshown in more detail in FIGS. 2A to 2C. FIG. 2A is a top-down view ofthe article 4, FIG. 2B is an end-on view along the longitudinal (length)axis of the article 4, and FIG. 2C is a side-on view along the widthaxis of the article

The article 4 comprises a carrier component 42 which in thisimplementation is formed of card. The carrier component 42 forms themajority of the article 4, and acts as a base for the aerosol generatingmaterial 44 to be deposited on.

The carrier component 42 is broadly cuboidal in shape has a length I, awidth w and a thickness t_(c) as shown in FIGS. 2A to 2C. By way of aconcrete example, the length of the carrier component 42 may be 30 to 80mm, the width may be 7 to 25 mm, and the thickness may be between 0.2 to1 mm. However, it should be appreciated that the above are exemplarydimensions of the carrier component 42, and in other implementations thecarrier component 42 may have different dimensions as appropriate. Insome implementations, the carrier component 42 may comprise one or moreprotrusions extending in the length and/or width directions of thecarrier component 42 to help facilitate handling of the article 4 by theuser. In the example shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the article 4 comprises aplurality of discrete portions of aerosol generating material 44disposed on a surface of the carrier component 42. More specifically,the article 4 comprises six discrete portions of aerosol generatinginaterial 44, labelled 44 a to 44 f, disposed in a two by three array.However, it should be appreciated that in other implementations agreater or lesser number of discrete portions may be provided, and/orthe portions may be disposed in a different array (e.g., a one by sixarray). In the example shown, the aerosol generating material 44 isdisposed at discrete, separate locations on a single surface of thecomponent carrier 42. The discrete portions of aerosol generatingmaterial 44 are shown as having a circular footprint, although it shouldbe appreciated that the discrete portions of aerosol generating material44 may take any other footprint, such as square or rectangular, asappropriate. The discrete portions of aerosol generating material 44have a diameter d and a thickness ta as shown in FIGS. 2A to 2C. Thethickness ta may take any suitable value, for example the thickness tamay be in the range of 50 pm to 1.5 mm. In some embodiment, thethickness ta is from about 50 pm to about 200 pm, or about 50 pm toabout 100 pm, or about 60 pm to about 90 pm, suitably about 77 pm. Inother embodiments, the thickness ta may be greater than 200 pm, e.g.,from about 50 pm to about 400 pm, or to about 1 mm, or to about 1.5 mm.

The discrete portions of aerosol generating material 44 are separatefrom one another such that each of the discrete portions may beenergized (e.g., heated) individually/selectively to produce an aerosol,in some implementations, the portions of aerosol generating material 44may have a mass no greater than 20 mg, such that the amount of materialto be aerosolized by a given aerosol generating component 24 at any onetime is relatively low. For example, the mass per portion may be equalto or lower than 20 mg, or equal to or lower than 10 mg, or equal to orlower than 5 mg. Of course, it should be appreciated that the total massof the article 4 may be greater than 20 mg.

In the described implementation, the aerosol generating material 44 isan amorphous solid. Generally, the amorphous solid may comprise agelling agent (sometimes referred to as a binder) and an aerosolgenerating agent (which might comprise glycerol, for example).Optionally, the aerosol generating material may comprise one or more ofthe following an active substance (which may include a tobacco extract),a flavorant, an acid, and a filler. Other components may also be presentas desired. Suitable active substances, flavorants, acids and tillersare described above in relation to the aerosolirable material.

Thus the aerosol generating agent may comprise one or more of glycerol,propylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethyleneglycol, 1,3-butylene glycol, erythritol, meso-Erythritol, ethylvanillate, ethyl laurate, a diethyl suberate, triethyl citrate,triacetin, a diacetin mixture, benzyl benzoate, benzyl phenyl acetate,tributyrin, lauryl acetate, lauric acid, myristic, acid, and propylenecarbonate.

In some embodiments, the aerosol generating agent comprises one or morepolyhydric alcohols, such as propylene glycol, triethylene glycol,1,3-butanediol and glycerin; esters of polyhydric alcohols, such asglycerol mono-, di- or triacetate; and/or aliphatic esters of mono-, di-or polycarboxylic acids, such as dimethyl dodecanedioate and dimethyltetradecanedioate.

The gelling agent may comprise one or more compounds selected fromcellulosic gelling agents, non-cellulosic gelling agents, guar gum,acacia gum and mixtures thereof.

In some embodiments, the cellulosic gelling agent is selected from thegroup consisting of hydroxymethyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose,hydroxypropyl cellulose, carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC), methyl cellulose, ethyl cellulose, celluloseacetate (CA), cellulose acetate butyrate (CAB), cellulose acetatepropionate (CAP) and combinations thereof.

In some embodiments, the gelling agent comprises (or is) one or more ofhydroxyethyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC), carboxymethylcellulose, guar gum, or acacia gum.

In some embodiments, the gelling agent comprises (or is) one or morenon-cellulosic gelling agents, including, but not limited to, agar,xanthan gum, gum Arabic, guar gum, locust bean gum, pectin, carrageenan,starch, alginate, and combinations thereof. In preferred embodiments,the non-cellulose based gelling agent is alginate or agar.

The aerosol-generating material may comprise an acid. The acid may be anorganic acid. In some of these embodiments, the acid may be at least oneof a inonoprotic acid, a diprotic acid and a triprotic acid. In somesuch embodiments, the acid may contain at least one carboxyl functionalgroup. In some such embodiments, the acid may be at least one of analpha-hydroxy acid, carboxylic acid, dicarboxylic acid, tricarboxylicacid and keto acid. In some such embodiments, the acid may be analpha-keto acid.

In some such embodiments, the acid may be at least one of succinic acid,lactic acid, benzoic acid, citric acid, tartaric acid, fumaric acid,levulinic acid, acetic acid, malic acid, formic acid, sorbin acid,benzoic acid. propanoic and pyruvic acid.

Suitably the acid is lactic acid. In other embodiments, the acid isbenzoic acid. In other embodiments the acid may be an inorganic acid. Insome of these embodiments the acid may be a mineral acid. In some suchembodiments, the acid may be at least one of sulphuric acid,hydrochloric acid, boric acid and phosphoric acid. In some embodiments,the acid is levulinic acid.

The inclusion of an acid is particularly preferred in embodiments inwhich the aerosol generating material comprises nicotine, in suchembodiments, the presence of an acid may stabilize dissolved species inthe slurry from which the aerosol-generating material is formed. Thepresence of the acid may reduce or substantially prevent evaporation ofnicotine during drying of the slurry, thereby reducing loss of nicotineduring manufacturing.

In certain embodiments, the aerosol-generating material comprises agelling agent comprising a cellulosic gelling agent and/or anon-cellulosic gelling agent, an active substance and an acid.

In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material comprises one ormore cannabinoid compounds selected from the group consisting of:cannabidiol (CBD), tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), tetrahydrocannabinolicacid (THCA), cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), cannabinol (CBN), cannabigerol(CBG), cannabichromene (CBC), cannabicyclol (CBL), cannabivarin (CBV),tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV), camiabidivarin (CBDV),cannabichrorrievarin (CBCV), cannabigerovarin (CBGV), cannabigerolmonomethyl ether (CBGM) and cannabielsoin (CBE), cannabicitran (CBT).

The aerosol-generating material may comprise one or more cannabinoidcompounds selected from the group consisting of cannabidiol (CBD) andTHC (tetrahydrocannabinol).

The aerosol-generating material may comprise cannabidiol (CBD).

The aerosol-generating material may comprise nicotine and cannabidiol(CBD).

The aerosol-generating material may comprise nicotine, cannabidiol(CBD), and THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). An amorphous solid aerosolizableinaterial offers some advantages over other types of aerosolizablematerials commonly found in some electronic aerosol provision devices.For example, compared to electronic aerosol provision devices whichaerosolize a liquid aerosolizable material, the potential for theamorphous solid to leak or otherwise flow from a location at which theamorphous solid is stored is greatly reduced.

This means aerosol provision devices or articles may be more cheaplymanufactured as the components do not necessarily require the sameliquid-tight seals or the like to be used.

Compared to electronic aerosol provision devices which aerosolize asolid aerosolizable material, e.g., tobacco, a comparably lower mass ofamorphous solid material can be aerosolized to generate an equivalentamount of aerosol (or to provide an equivalent amount of a constituentin the aerosol, e.g., nicotine). This is partially due to the fact thatan amorphous solid can be tailored to not include unsuitableconstituents that might be found in other solid aerosolizable materials(e.g., cellulosic material in tobacco, for example). For example, insome iinplementations, the mass per portion of amorphous solid is nogreater than 20 mg, or no greater than 10 mg, or no greater than 5 mg.Accordingly, the aerosol provision device can supply relatively lesspower to the aerosol generating component andlor the aerosol generatingcomponent can be comparably smaller to generate a similar aerosol, thusmeaning the energy requirements for the aerosol provision device may bereduced.

The amorphous solid may comprise a colorant. The addition of a colorantmay alter the visual appearance of the amorphous solid. The presence ofcolorant in the amorphous solid may enhance the visual appearance of theamorphous solid and the aerosol-generating material. By adding acolorant to the amorphous solid, the amorphous solid may becolor-matched to other components of the aerosol-generating, material orto other components of an article comprising the amorphous solid.

A variety of colorants may be used depending on the desired color of theamorphous solid. The color of amorphous solid may be, for example,white, green, red, pulpit, blue, brown or black. Other colors are alsoenvisaged. Natural or synthetic colorants, such as natural or syntheticdyes, food-grade colorants and pharmaceutical-grade colorants may beused. In certain embodiments, the colorant is caramel, which may conferthe amorphous solid with a brown appearance. In such embodiments, thecolor of the amorphous solid may be similar to the color of othercomponents (such as tobacco material) in an aerosol generating materialcomprising the amorphous solid. in some embodiments, the addition of acolorant to the amorphous solid renders it visually indistinguishablefrom other components in the aerosol-generating material.

The colorant may be incorporated during the formation of the amorphoussolid (e.g. when forming a slurry comprising the materials that form theamorphous solid) or it may be applied to the amorphous solid after itsformation (e.g. by spraying it onto the amorphous solid). In someembodiments, the amorphous solid comprises tobacco extract. In theseembodiments, the amorphous solid may have the following composition (byDry Weight Basis, DWB) gelling agent (preferably comprising alginate) inan amount of from about 1 wt % to about 60 wt %, or about 10 wt % to 30wt %, or about 15 wt % to about 25 wt %; tobacco extract in an amount offrom about 10 wt % to about 60 wt %, or from about 40 wt % to 55 wt %.or from about 45 wt % to about 50 wt %; aerosol generating agent(preferably comprising glycerol) in an amount of from about 5 wt % toabout 60 wt %, or from about 20 wt % to about 40 wt %, or from about 25wt % to about 35 wt % (DWI3). The tobacco extract may be from a single-variety of tobacco or a blend of extracts from different varieties oftobacco. Such amorphous solids may be referred to as “tobacco amorphoussolids”, and may be designed to deliver a tobacco-like experience whenaerosolized.

In one embodiment, the amorphous solid comprises about 20 wt % alginategelling agent, about 48 wt % Virginia tobacco extract and about 32 wt %glycerol (DWB).

The amorphous solid of these embodiments may have any suitable watercontent. For example, the amorphous solid may have a water content offrom about 5 wt % to about 15 wt %, or from about 7 wt % to about 13 wt%, or about 10 wt %.

Suitably, in any of these embodiments, the amorphous solid has athickness to of from about 50 pm to about 200 pm, or about 50 pm toabout 100 pm, or about 60 pm to about 90 pm, suitably about 77 pm.

In some implementations, the amorphous solid may comprise 0.5-60 wt % ofa gelling agent; and 5-80 wt % of an aerosol generating agent, whereinthese weights are calculated on a dry weight basis. Such amorphoussolids may contain no flavor, no acid and no active substance. Suchamorphous solids may be referred to as “aerosol generating agent rich”or “aerosol generating agent amorphous solids”. More generally, this isan example of an aerosol generating agent rich aerosol generatingmaterial which, as the name suggests, is a portion of aerosol generatingmaterial which is designed to deliver aerosol generating agent whenaerosolited.

In these implementations, the amorphous solid may have the followingcomposition (DWB): gelling agent in an amount of from about 5 wt % toabout 40 wt %, or about 10 wt % to 30 wt %, or about 15 wt % to about 25wt %; aerosol generating agent in an amount of from about 10 wt % toabout 50 wt %, or from about 20 wt % to about 40 wt %, or from about 25wt % to about 35 wt % (DWB).

In some other implementations, the amorphous solid may comprise 0.5-60wt % of a gelling agent; 5-80 wt % of an aerosol generating agent; and1-60 wt % of a flavor, wherein these weights are calculated on a dryweight basis, Such amorphous solids may contain flavor, but no activesubstance or acid. Such amorphous solids may be referred to as“flavorant rich” or “flavor amorphous solids”. More generally, this isan example of a flavorant rich aerosol generating material which, as thename suggests, is a portion of aerosol generating material which isdesigned to deliver flavorant when aerosolized.

In these implementations, the amorphous solid may have the followingcomposition (DWB): gelling agent in an amount of from about 5 wt % toabout 40 wt %, or about 10 wt % 30 wt %, or about 15 wt % to about 25 wt%; aerosol generating agent in an amount of from about 10 wt % to about50 wt %, or from about 20 wt % to about 40 wt %, or from about 25 wt %to about 35 wt % (DWB), flavor in an amount of from about 30 wt % toabout 60 wt %, or from about 40 wt % to 55 wt %, or from about 45 wt %to about 50 wt %.

In some other implementations, the amorphous solid may comprise 0.5-60wt % of a gelling agent; 5-80 wt % of an aerosol generating agent; and5-60 wt % of at least one active substance, wherein these weights arecalculated on a dry weight basis. Such amorphous solids may contain anactive substance, but no flavor or acid. Such amorphous solids may bereferred to as “active substance rich” or “active substance amorphoussolids”. For example, in one implementation, the active substance may benicotine, and as such an amorphous solid as described above comprisingnicotine may be referred to as a “nicotine amorphous solid”. Moregenerally, this is an example of an active substance rich aerosolgenerating material which, as the name suggests, is a portion of aerosolgenerating material which is designed to deliver an active substancewhen aerosolized.

In these implementations, amorphous solid may have the followingcomposition (DWB): gelling agent in an amount of from about 5 wt % toabout 40 wt %, or about 10 wt % to 30 wt %, or about 15 wt % to about 25wt %; aerosol generating agent in an amount of from about 10 wt % toabout 50 wt %, or from about 20 wt % to about 40 wt %, or from about 25wt % to about 35 wt % (DWB), active substance in an amount of from about30 wt % to about 60 wt %, or from about 40 wt % to 55 wt %, or fromabout 45 wt % to about 50 wt %.

In some other implementations, the amorphous solid may comprise 0.5-60wt % of a gelling agent; 5-80 wt % of an aerosol generating agent; and0.1-10 wt % of an acid, wherein these weights are calculated on a dryweight basis. Such amorphous solids may contain acid, but, no activesubstance and flavorant. Such amorphous solids may be referred to as“acid rich” or “acid amorphous solids”. More generally, this is anexample of an acid rich aerosol generating material which, as the namesuggests, is a portion of aerosol generating material which is designedto deliver an acid when aerosolized.

In these implementations, the amorphous solid may have the followingcomposition (DWB): gelling agent in an amount of from about 5 wt % toabout 40 wt %, or about 10 wt % to 30 wt %, or about 5 wt % to about 25wt %; aerosol generating agent in an amount of from about 10 wt % toabout 50 wt %, or from about 20 wt % to about 40 wt %, or from about 25wt % to about 35 wt % (DWB), acid in an amount of from about 0.1 wt % toabout 5 wt %, or from about 0.5 wt % to 7 wt %, or from about 11 wt % toabout 5 wt %, or form about 1 wt % to about 3 wt %.

The article 4 may comprise a plurality of portions of aerosol generatingmaterial all formed form the same aerosol generating material (e.g., oneof the amorphous solids described above). Alternatively, the article 4may comprise a plurality of portions of aerosol generating material 44where at least two portions are formed from different aerosol generatingmaterial (e.g., one of the amorphous solids described above).

The receptacle 25 is suitable sized to removably receive the article 4therein. Although not shown, the device 2 may comprise a hinged door orremovable part of the outer housing 21 to permit access to thereceptacle 25 such that a user may insert andlor remove the article 4from the receptacle 25. The hinged door or removable part of the outerhousing 21 may also act to retain the article 4 within the receptacle 25when closed. When the aerosol generating article 4 is exhausted or theuser simply wishes to switch to a different aerosol generating article4. the aerosol generating article 4 may be removed from the aerosolprovision device 2 and a replacement aerosol generating article 4positioned in the receptacle 25 in its place. Alternatively, the device2 may include a permanent opening that communicates with the receptacle25 and through which the article 4 can be inserted. into the receptacle25. In such implementations, a retaining mechanism for retaining thearticle 4 within the receptacle 25 of the device 2 may be provided.

As seen in FIG. 1 , the device 2 comprises a number of aerosolgenerating components 24. In the described implementation, the aerosolgenerating components 24 are heating elements 24, and more specificallyresistive heating elements 24. Resistive heating elements 24 receive apelectrical current and convert the electrical energy into heat. Theresistive heating elements 24 may be formed from, or comprise, anysuitable resistive heating material, such as NiChrome (Ni20Cr80), whichgenerates heat upon receiving an electrical current. In oneimplementation, the heating elements 24 may comprise an electricallyinsulating substrate on which resistive tracks are disposed.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional, top-down view of the aerosol provisiondevice 2 showing the arrangement of the heating elements 24 in moredetail. In FIGS. 1 and 3 , the heating elements 24 are positioned suchthat a surface of the heating element 24 forms a part of the surface ofthe receptacle 25. That is, an outer surface of the heating elements 24is flush with the inner surface of the receptacle. More specifically,the outer surface of the heating element 24 that is flush with the innersurface of the receptacle 25 is a surface of the heating element 24 thatis heated (i.e., its temperature increases) when an electrical currentis passed through the heating element 24.

In the present example, the heating element 24 is formed of anelectrically-conductive plate, which defines the surface of the heatingelement that is arranged to increase temperature. Theelectrically-conductive plate may be formed of a metallic material, forexample, NiChrome, which generates heat when a current is passed throughthe electrically-conductive plate. In other implementatiims, a separateelectrically-conductive track may pass on a surface of, or through, asecond material (e.g., a metal material or a ceramic material), with theelectrically-conductive track generating heat that is transferred to thesecond material. That is, the second material in combination with theelectrically-conductive track form the heating element 24. In the latterexample, the surface of the heating element that is arranged to increasein temperature is defined by the perimeter of the second material.

In the described implementation, the surfaces of the heating elements 24that are arranged to increase in temperature are also planar and aregenerally located in a plane parallel to the wall of the receptacle 25.However, in other implementations, the surfaces may be curved; that isto say, the plane in which the surfaces of the heating elements 24 arelocated may have a radius of curvature in one axis (e.g., the surfacemay be approximately parabolic).

The heating elements 24 are arranged such that, when the article 4 isreceived in the receptacle 25, each heating element 24 aligns with acorresponding discrete portion of aerosol generating material 44. Hence,in this example, six heating elements 24 are arranged in a two by threearray broadly corresponding to the arrangement of the two by three arrayof the six discrete portions of aerosol generating material 44 shown inFIGS. 2A to 2C. However, as discussed above, the number of heatingelements 24 may be different in different implementations, for examplethere may be 8, 10, 12, 14, etc. heating elements 24. In someimplementations, the number of heating elements 24 is greater than orequal to six but no greater than 20.

More specifically, the heating elements 24 are labeled 24 a to 24 f inFIG. 3 , and it should be appreciated that each heating element 24 isarranged to align with a corresponding portion of aerosol generatingmaterial 44 as denoted by the corresponding letter following thereferences 24/44. Accordingly, each of the heating elements 24 can beindividually activated to heat a corresponding portion of aerosolgenerating material 44.

While the heating elements 24 are shown flush with the inner surface ofthe receptacle 25, in other implementations the heating elements 24 mayprotrude into the receptacle 25. In either case, the article 4 contactsthe surfaces of the heating elements 24 when present in the receptacle25 such that heat generated by the heating elements 24 is conducted tothe aerosol generating material 44 through the carrier component 42.

The surfaces of the heating elements 24 have a diameter d, which issubstantially the same as the diameter d of FIG. 2 , although it shouldbe appreciated in some implementations the diameters may be different.As shown m FIG. 3 , the heating elements 24 are separated from oneanother in the length direction by a separation distance S2 and in thewidth direction by a separation distance Si. The separation distances S1and S2 are set such that, when one portion of aerosol generationmaterial is heated by one heating element (e.g., heating element 24 aand corresponding portion 44 a), the heat from this heating element 24 adoes not cause a substantial increase in the temperature of an adjacentportion of aerosol generating material, e.g., portions 44 b and 44 c. Inother words, the separation distances S1 and S2 are arranged such thatthe adjacent portions of aerosol generating material are notinadvertently heated to an extent that the adjacent portions of aerosolgenerating material begin generating aerosol. The separation distancesS1 and S2 may be influenced by the expected operational temperaturesthat the heating elements 24 are expected to operate at. Generally, agreater operational temperature will lead to a greater separationdistance S1 and S2. The separation distances S1 and S2 may be the sameor may differ, however for any given system the separation distances S1and S2 may share a minimum distance. In this case, the minimumseparation distance may be between 1.5 mm to 5 mm FIG. 3 also shows thereceptacle having a length and a width w_(r), discussed in more detailbelow.

In some implementations, to improve the heat-transfer efficiency, thereceptacle may comprise components which apply a force to the surface ofthe carrier component 42 so as to press the carrier component 42 ontothe heater elements 24, thereby increasing the efficiency of heattransfer via conduction to the aerosol generating material 44.Additionally or alternatively, the heater elements 24 may be configuredto move in the direction towardslaway from the article 4, and may bepressed into the surface of carrier component 42 that does not: comprisethe aerosol generating material 44.

In use, the device 2 (and more specifically the control circuitry 23) isconfigured to deliver power to the heating elements 24 in response to auser input. Broadly speaking, the control circuitry 23 is configured toselectively apply power to the heating elements 24 to subsequently heatthe corresponding portions of aerosol generating material 44 to generateaerosol. When a user inhales on the device 2 (i.e., inhales atmouthpiece end 26), air is drawn into the device 2 through air inlet 27,into the receptacle 25 where it mixes with the aerosol generated byheating the aerosol generating material 44, and then to the user's mouthvia air outlet 28. That is, the aerosol is delivered to the user throughmouthpiece end 26 and air outlet 28.

Turning back to the operation of the device 2 of FIG. 1 , the device 2includes a touch-sensitive panel 29 and an inhalation sensor 30.Collectively, the touch-sensitive panel 29 and inhalation sensor 30 actas mechanisms for a receiving a user input to cause the generation ofaerosol, and thus may more broadly be referred to as user inputmechanisms. The received user input may be said to be indicative of auser's desire to generate aerosol. The touch-sensitive panel 29 may be acapacitive touch sensor and can be operated by a user of the device 2placing their finger or another suitably conductive object (for examplea stylus) on the touch-sensitive panel. In the described implementation,the touch-sensitive panel includes a region which can be pressed by auser to start aerosol generation. The control circuitry 23 may beconfigured to receive signaling from the touch-sensitive panel 29 and touse this signaling to determine if a user is pressing (i.e. activating)the region of the touch-sensitive panel 29. If the control circuitry 23receives this signaling, then the control circuitry 23 is configured tosupply power from the power source 22 to one or more of the heatingelements 24. Power may be supplied for a predetermined time period (forexample, three seconds) from the moment a touch is detected, or inresponse to the length of time the touch is detected for. In otherimplementations, the touch sensitive panel 29 may be replaced by a useractuatabie button or the like.

The inhalation sensor 30 may be a pressure sensor or microphone or thelike configured to detect a drop in pressure or a flow of air caused bythe user inhaling on the device 2. The inhalation sensor 30 is locatedin fluid communication with the air flow pathway (that is, in fluidcommunication with the air flow path between inlet 27 and outlet 28). Ina similar manner as described above, the control circuitry 23 may beconfigured to receive signaling from the inhalation sensor and to usethis signaling to dam:it:no if a user is inhaling on the aerosolprovision system 1. If the control circuitry 23 receives this signaling,then the control circuitry 23 is configured to supply power from thepower source 22 to one or more of the heating elements 24. Power may besupplied for a predetermined time period (for example, three seconds)from the moment inhalation is detected, or in response to the length oftime the inhalation is detected for.

In the described example, both the touch-sensitive panel 29 andinhalation sensor 30 detect the user's desire to begin generatingaerosol for inhalation. The control circuitry 23 may be configured toonly supply power to the heating element 24 when signaling from both thetouch-sensitive panel 29 and inhalation sensor 30 are detected. This mayhelp prevent inadvertent activation of the heating elements 24 fromaccidental activation of one of the user input mechanisms. However, inother implementations, the aerosol provision system 1 may have only oneof a touch sensitive panel 29 and an inhalation sensor 30.

These aspects of the operation of the aerosol provision system 1 (i.e.puff detection and touch detection) may in themselves be performed inaccordance with established techniques (for example using conventionalinhalation sensor and inhalation sensor signal processing techniques andusing conventional touch sensor and touch sensor signal processing Intechniques). In the implementation of the aerosol provision system Idescribed above, a plurality of (discrete) portions of aerosolgenerating material 44 are provided which can be selectively aerosolizedusing the aerosol generating components 24. Such aerosol provisionsystems 1 offer advantages over other systems which are designed to heata larger bulk quantity of material. In particular, for a giveninhalation, only the selected portion (or portions) of aerosolgenerating material are aerosolized leading to a more energy efficientsystem overall.

In heated systems, several parameters affect the overall effectivenessof this system at delivering a sufficient amount of aerosol to a user ona per puff basis. On the one hand, the thickness of the aerosolgenerating material is important as this influences how quickly theaerosol generating material reaches an operational temperature (andsubsequently generates aerosol). This may be important for severalreasons, but may lead to more efficient use of energy from the powersource 22 as the heating element may not need to be active for as longcompared with heating a thicker portion of material. On the other hand,the total mass of the aerosol generating material that is heated affectsthe total amount of aerosol that can be generated, and subsequentlydelivered to the user. In addition, the temperature that the aerosolgenerating material is heated to may affect both how quickly the aerosolgenerating material reaches operational temperature and the amount ofaerosol that is generated.

Amorphous solids (e.g., as described above) are particularly suited tothe above application, in part because the amorphous solids are formedfrom selected ingredients constituents and so can be engineered suchthat a relatively high proportion of the mass is the useful (ordeliverable) constituents (e.g., nicotine and glycerol, for example). Assuch, amorphous solids may produce a relatively high proportion ofaerosol from a given mass as compared to some other aerosol generatingmaterials (e.g., tobacco), meaning that relatively smaller portions ofamorphous solid can output a comparable amount of aerosol. In addition,amorphous solids do not tend to easily flow (if at all) which meansproblems around leakage when using a liquid aerosol generating material,for example, are largely mitigated.

However, as mentioned, several factors may influence the effectivenessof these systems to generate aerosol on a puff-by-puff basis. As impliedfrom the above, for a given temperature, the thinner the portion ofaerosol generating material, the quicker the time from the start ofheating to aerosol being generated, however, the lower the total mass ofaerosol that can be generated from that portion. Additionally, for agiven temperature, the greater the areal extent of the portion ofaerosol generation material (that is, with reference to FIG. 3 , thegreater the diameter d) the more aerosol can be generated per portion ofaerosol generating material. However, there is a tendency for aerosolprovision systems to be miniaturized/handheld, so that the systems areportable. Devices which have a footprint much beyond the site of a palmof a human hand (e.g., 10 cm by 7 cm) start to become more difficult fora user to hold (particularly in one hand) and also tend to be morecumbersome and inconvenient to use. In the aerosol provision system 1 ofFIGS. 1 to 3 , a plurality of portions of aerosol generating materialare to be vaporized, e.g., six portions as shown, which means there arepractical limitations on how great the areal extent of the portions ofaerosol generating material can be (which translates, from a devicepoint of view, to limitations on the areal extent of the heatingelements). This restriction is even more significant when the number ofportions to be aerosolized increases e.g., up to 10 or 12, for example.

Assuming, as an example, that each portion of aerosol generatingmaterial is to be heated once (that is, each portion, when heatedgenerates an aerosol sufficient for one user inhalation), for an article4 which includes 12 portions of aerosol generating material having acircular cross-section and a diameter of, say, 12 mm and arranged in a2×6 array, the length l_(r) of the receptacle 25 to receive such anarticle 4 may become on the order of 80 mm or greater, which leads to anoverall device 2 having dimensions that start to go beyond the size of auser's palm as shown above.

In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, there isprovided an aerosol provision device 2 for use with an aerosolgenerating article 4 comprising aerosol generating material 44, Theaerosol provision device 2 comprises one or more aerosol generatingcomponents 24 arranged to aerosolize different portions of the aerosolgenerating material 44, and control circuitry 23 for supplying power tothe one or more aerosol generating components 24. The control circuitry23 is further configured to perform an aerosolization process on a firstportion of the aerosol generating material on at least two separateoccasions.

An aerosolization process here refers to any suitable process which cancause aerosolization of the portion of the aerosol generating material.In the described implementation, this includes heating of the aerosolgenerating material to a temperature and for a duration that aresufficient to generate aerosol from the portion of aerosol generatingmaterial. The temperature may be referred to as an operationaltemperature, and may be in the range of 160° C. to 350° C. However, inother implementations, performing any other form of energizing oragitating of the aerosol generating material to generate an aerosol maybe considered as an aerosolization process,

On at least two separate occasions here is understood to mean that anaerosolization process is performed on two distinct occasions, e.g., afirst occasion and on a second occasion wherein the two occasions areseparated by a certain time. For example, the aerosol generatingcomponent may receive a first signal to generate aerosol (i.e., toperform a first aerosolization process) and then receive a second signalto generate aerosol (i.e., to perform a second aerosolization process)some time after die first aerosolization process has been completed. Thecertain time may be a time period in which aerosol is not-generated fromthe aerosol generating portion (i.e., a non-aerosolization process), inthe example above in which the portion of aerosol generating material isheated, the heater element 24 may be raised to the operationaltemperature to generate aerosol from the portion of aerosol generatingmaterial as the first occurrence of the aerosolization process,subsequently cooled (or allowed to cool) to below the operationaltemperature as the non-aerosoliration process, and then controlled toreach the operational temperature for the second occasion ofaerosolizing the portion of aerosol generating material, However, insome instances, it is not necessary that aerosolization has stoppedbetween the first. and second aerosolization processes as some latentheat may still remain in the heating element after the firstaerosolization process, but rather the first and second aerosolizationprocesses signify distinct control steps performed by the controlcircuitry to cause aerosolization on separate occasions.

As described above, the present inventors have proposed an aerosolprovision system 1 and a method for using the system 1, which involvesaerosolizing a single portion of aerosol generating material on at leasttwo separate occasions, in other words, the control circuitry performs afirst aerosolization process on the portion of aerosol generatingmaterial to generate aerosol therefrom, wherein this process does notdeplete the portion of the aerosol generation material, and thenperforms at least a second aerosolization process on the same portion ofaerosol generating material at a later time to generate aerosoltherefrom for a second time.

In this regard, the portion of aerosol generating material should havesufficient mass and be heated to a sufficient temperature that enablesaerosol to be generated on at least two separate occasions. In someimplementations, the aerosol that is generated as a result of the secondaerosolization process should be substantially the same as the aerosolgenerated as a result of the first aerosolization process. In thisregard, substantially the same should be understood to mean within 20%,or within 10%, or within 5% of a parameter used to characterize theaerosol (which may be the total aerosol mass produced or the amount or aproportion of a component of the aerosol, e.g., nicotine). It should beappreciated, however, that the first and second aerosolization processesmay not be identical—that is, for example, the second aerosolizationprocess may involve heating the portion of aerosol generating materialat a higher temperature than in the first aerosolization process.

By performing an aerosolization process at least twice on a portion ofaerosol generating material means that a greater design freedom may beafforded to the designer of the aerosol generation system 1. Forexample, in one scenario, if an article is to deliver 12 puffs, thenfewer than twelve heating elements would be required in accordance withthe principles of the present disclosure. For example, only six heatingelements 24 may be required if each portion is able to be heated twice,with the heating elements 24 being arranged in a 2×3 array as shown inFIG. 3 . Accordingly, the relative size of the receptacle 25 (e.g., thelength l_(r)) can be made relatively smaller than if twice as manyheating elements were required. In some implementations, the surface ofeach heating element 24 that is arranged to increase its temperatureduring heating, may have a surface area which is no greater than 130mm². This equates to a maximum diameter d of the heating elements ofaround 12.9 mm. Accordingly, the minimum length l_(r) for the receptacle25 having six heating elements arranged in a 2×3 array is around 40 mm;however this does not take into account the separation distances S1 orS2. With these taken into account, the l_(r) may be on the order of 50to 60 mm. Heating elements 24 having a diameter d much greater than thiswill lead to devices 2 (when considering other practicalities, such asmouthpiece end 26) having an overall size which is greater than the sizeof a palm of a user. In other implementations, the heating element areamay be no greater than 80 mm² or no greater than 75 mm². However, inother implementations, the areal extent of the heating element may bedifferent from that described.

Iri addition, the diameter d of the heating elements may also be set toaccommodate a relative increase in mass of the portion of aerosolgenerating material such that the aerosol generating material may beappropriately heated in the desired time scale to generate aerosol. If,for example, one were to double the thickness t_(a) of the aerosolgenerating material (to double the relative mass), the diameter d scalesas the square root of two. Thus, doubling the area of the heatingelement 24/portion of aerosol generating material 44 does not, lead to adoubling of the diameter.

Thus, a balance between the areal extent of the heating element and thethickness of the aerosol generating portion can be made in order to meetstringent design requirements on the overall size of the device, whereineach portion of aerosol generating material may be heated on at leasttwo separate occasions.

FIG. 4 represents an example method of generating an aerosol using thedevice 2 as described above and in accordance with the principles of thepresent disclosure. The method starts at step St where the device 2receives signaling from either one or both of the touch-sensitive panel29 and inhalation sensor 30 signifying a user's intention to inhaleaerosol, as discussed above. The device 2 may already be in a “stand-by”state prior to step S1 and as such the control circuitry 23 is in astate where it is monitoring for the signaling.

In response to detecting the signaling from either one or both of thetouch-sensitive panel 29 and inhalation sensor 30, the control circuitry23 is configured to supply power to a selected heating element 24 (ormore generally is arranged to cause heating of a selected portion ofaerosol generating material 44 at the operational temperature) at stepS2.

The selected heating element may be selected using a predefined heatingsequence.

For example, the heating sequence through which the control circuitry isarranged to raise the temperature of the heating elements to anoperational temperature may be: heating element 24 a followed by heatingelement 24 b followed by heating element 24 c . . . and so on up toheating elerrierii 24 f, and then back to heating element 24 a followedby heating element 24 b . . . and so on up to heating element 24 f.According to this sequence, the next heating element in the sequence isnever the same as the current heating element in the sequence. Or putanother way, the control circuitry 23 is configured to cause sequentialheating of each portion of aerosol generating material 44 on oneoccasion, before causing heating of any given portion of aerosolgenerating material on a second occasion. This type of sequence mayeffectively split the inhalation session in to two halves (or multiplesections); a first half where the aerosol is generated from “fresh”aerosol generating material, and a second half where aerosol isgenerated from “previously used” aerosol generating, material. This maysimulate other products where the quality of aerosol may slightlydecline towards the end of the session and naturally indicate the onsetof the end of the session.

Alternatively, the heating sequence through which the control circuitryis arranged to raise the temperature of the heating elements to anoperational temperature may be: heating element 24 a and then a secondheating of heating element 24 a, followed by heating element. 24 b andthen a second heating of heating element 24 b . . . and so on up toheating element 24 f, and then a second heating of heating element 24 f.According to this sequence, the next heating element in the sequence maybe the same as the current heating element in the sequence. Or putanother way, the control circuitry 23 is configured to cause heating ofa first portion of the aerosol generating material (at least) on twoseparate occasions before causing heating of a second portion of theaerosol generating material. This type of sequence may effectivelyalternate the inhalations between aerosol generated from “fresh” aerosolgenerating material and aerosol generated from “previously used” aerosolgenerating material. The change in aerosol quality may be lessnoticeable to a user in this instance for a more consistent overallexperience.

The sequences above are exemplary, and it will be apparent to theskilled person that other variations of the heating sequences, includinga combination of the two types mentioned above, may he employed inaccordance with the principles of the present disclosure.

Once power is supplied to the selected heating element at step S2, atstep S3 the control circuitry stops the power supply to the selectedheating element. The control circuitry 23 may stop the supply of powerbased either on a predetermined time from the signaling being detectedat step Si elapsing, or based on when the signaling at step St stopsbeing received by the control circuitry 23. In other words, the durationof heating may be set in advance in accordance with the predeterminedtime or may depend up on the length of the user's puff as detected bythe inhalation sensor 30 or based on the length of time the userinteracts with the touch-sensitive panel 29. However, in either case theheating duration will broadly correspond to a users puff or a typicalpuff. Typically the duration of heating will be on the order of 2 to 5seconds, and in most implementations will be no longer than 10 seconds.In some implementations where the length of heating is based on theuser's puff duration, a cut-off may be implemented in which power to theheating elements 24 is stopped after 10 seconds of inhalation to preventabuse of the system 1. A cut-off my also be implemented to prevent usingtoo much of the aerosol generating material (i.e., generating too muchaerosol) such that very little material remains in the portion of theaerosol generation material for the second heating occurrence. Hence, inessence, the control circuitry is configured to heat the one or moreheating elements to an operational temperature at which aerosol isgenerated for no longer than 10 consecutive seconds (where it should beappreciated that the cumulative heating time over two or more heatingoccurrences may be greater than 10 seconds in some implementations).

At step S4, the control circuitry 23 determines the next heating elementin the sequence and sets this as the selected heating element. In thisregard, the control circuitry 23 may be configured to store a value inmemory (not shown) indicating the position in the sequence, and at stepS2, S3, or S4 (i.e., during the current heating phase or after),increment the stored number by one. The control circuitry 23 may alsostore the sequence in memory.

At step S5, the control circuitry 23 is configured to determine whetherthe sequence is complete. For example, the control circuitry 23 may notbe able to determine a next heating, element in the sequence at step S4,for example. Assuming the sequence has not completed (i.e., a NO at stepS5), the method proceeds to step S6 where the control circuitry 23monitors for, and may subsequently receive, further signaling fromeither one or both of the touch-sensitive panel 29 and inhalation sensor30 signifying the user's intention to inhale aerosol. Once the signalingis received, the method proceeds back to step S2 and continues asindicated in FIG. 4 . This process is repeated for remaining heatingelements 24 in the sequence, provided the user continues to provide theappropriate signaling.

It should be noted that although step S5 is shown in FIG. 4 as distinctfrom step S4, these steps may be combined or even reversed in accordancewith other implementations. The ordering of these steps is notsignificant to the principles described herein.

If the control circuitry 23 determines that the sequence has completedat step S5 (i.e., a YES at step S5), then the method proceeds to stepS7. At step S7, the control circuitry 23 may be configured to generatean alert signal which signifies the end of use of the article 4, forexample when the sequence has completed and the heating elements 24 havebeen activated on at least two separate occasions. With reference toFIG. 1 , the device 2 includes an end of use indicator 31 which in thisimplementation is an LED. However, in other implementations, the end ofuse indicator 31 may comprise any mechanism which is capable ofsupplying an alert signal to a user: that is, the end of use indicator31 may be an optical element to deliver an optical signal, a soundgenerator to deliver an aural signal, and/or a vibrator to deliver ahaptic signal. In some implementations, the indicator 31 may be combinedor otherwise provided by the touch-sensitive panel 29 (e.g., if thetouch-sensitive panel includes a display element). The device 2 mayprevent subsequent activation of the device 2 when the alert signal isbeing output. The alert signal may be switched off, and the controlcircuitry 23 reset, when the user replaces the article 4 and/or switchesoff the alert signal via a manual means such as a button (not shown).The method may then proceed back to step S1, should the user wish tobegin another session using a new article 4.

Effectively, the method set out in FIG. 4 means that for each inhalationa different one of the discrete portions of aerosol generating railterial 44 is heated and an aerosol generated therefrom. Such sequentialactivations may be dubbed “a sequential activation mode”, which isprimarily designed to deliver a consistent aerosol per inhalation (whichmay be measured in terms of total aerosol generated, or a totalconstituent delivered, for example).

Although not explicitly stated above, in the described implementationthe control circuitry is configured to cause aerosolization of only orieportion of aerosol generating material at any one time.

Although not explicitly described in relation to FIG. 4 , in someimplementations, the control circuitry 23 may be configured to perform apre-heat phase prior to beginning step S2 (and potentially also beforesteps S1 or S6). In other words, before receiving the signaling to beginaerosolization, the control circuitry 23 may already be heating theselected heating element in advance but to a temperature which does notcause substantial aerosolization of the aerosol generation material. Thepre-heat temperature may be in the range of 50 to 150° C. and in someimplementations is around 100° C. for an amorphous solid, but will varydepending upon the aerosol generating material, In this way, when asignal is received at step S1 or S6, the control circuitry 23 increasesthe supply of power to the selected heating element at step S2 toincrease the temperature of the selected heating element to anoperational temperature at which aerosol is generated. As mentionedabove, a portion of aerosol generating material designed to beaerosolized on at least two separate occasions may, in someimplementations, be relatively thicker than a portion of aerosolgenerating material designed to be aerosolized on only one occasion.Hence, pre-heating the next heating element/portion of aerosolgenerating material can help reduce the time required to reach anaerosolization temperature. In this regard, in some instances, twoheating elements may be activated simultaneously, one at the operationalto and one at the pre-heat temperature. However, in accordance with theabove example, only one heating element is controlled to be at theoperational temperature (and thus aerosol is only generated from oneportion of aerosol generating material at any given moment).

As mentioned, the temperature of the heating element can influence thetime between initial heating and aerosol generation as well as theamount of aerosol that is generated. The operational temperature islikely to be different for different aerosol generating materials, andmay be determined empirically or via computer simulation for example.However, for most aerosol generating, materials, the operationaltemperature is no greater than 350° C., or no greater than 320° C., orno greater than 300° C. This is because, at temperatures much beyondthese limits, most aerosol generating materials may start to combust ormay at least be approaching the temperature of conibustion. Operating ata temperature that is too high is likely to cause charring or burning ofthe aerosol generating material 44 which may provide unpleasant tastesin the generated aerosol.

EXAMPLE 1

Two samples of amorphous solid each comprising about 20 wt % alginategelling agent, about 48 wt % Virginia tobacco extract and about 32 wt %glycerol (DWB), were heated using a circular heating element having adiameter of 12.52 mm. A first sample had a thickness of 0.1 mm and asecond sample had a thickness of 0.2 ram.

The heating element temperature was set at 270° C. In this test, theheating element was brought up to temperature, then brought into contactwith the amorphous solid, for 5.5 seconds. The aerosol started to becollected after 4 seconds from initial contact of the heating elementwith the amorphous solid using a simulated puff. On average, the perpuff aerosol collected mass (ACM) was found to be around 2.0 mg/puff forthe 0.1 m thick amorphous solid and, under the same conditions, wasfound to be around 2.4 mg/puff for the 0.2 mm thick amorphous solid.

In other words, this example shows that doubling the thickness (andhence mass) for a portion of the amorphous solid provides substantiallythe same output per puff under broadly the same heating conditions.However, the thicker amorphous solid portion outputs a smallerproportion of the total mass of the amorphous solid as an aerosol duringthe heating.

Hence, in some implementations of the present disclosure, the thicknessof the amorphous solid for providing portions of aerosol generatingmaterial which output sufficient aerosol per puff for at least twoheating occurrences may have a thickness in the range of 0.05 mm to 2mm, or in range of 0.1 mm to 1.0 mm. In some implementations, thethickness is greater than 0.1 mm. In other implementations, thethickness is less than 2 mm, or less than 1 mm. Alternatively oradditionally, the mass of a portion of aerosol generating material mayhe no greater than 20 mg, no greater than 10 mg, or no greater than 5mg.

While the above has described systems in which portions of aerosolgenerating material 44 are heated sequentially, in otherimplementations, the control circuitry 23 is configured to supply powerto one or more of the heating elements 24 simultaneously. In suchimplementations, the control circuitry 23 may be configured to supplypower to selected ones of the heating elements 24 in response to apredetermined configuration. The predetermined configuration may be aconfiguration selected or determined by a user. Accordingly, suchsimultaneous heating element 24 activations may be dubbed “asimultaneous activation mode”, which may primarily be designed todeliver a customizable aerosol from a given article 4, with theintention of allowing a user to customize their experience on asession-by-session or even puff-by-puff basis. Hence, this mode may bemost effective when portions of the aerosol generating material 44 ofthe aerosol generating article 4 are different from one another. Forexample, portions 44 a and 44 b are formed of one material, portions 44c and 44 d are formed of a different material, etc. Accordingly, withthis mode of operation, the user may select which portions to aerosolizeat any given moment and thus which combinations of aerosols to beprovided with. In accordance with the present disclosure, each portion44 is provided with a sufficient mass and areal extent such that dieportions can be heated on at least two occasions as described above.However, unlike the method in FIG. 4 , the control circuitry 23 at stepS2 may supply power to all the selected heating, elements according tothe configuration described above. At step S3, power may be stopped. S4may be omitted, and instead the control circuitry 23 determines whetherthe article 4 is at an end of life, for example by monitoring the numberof activations per portion 44. In such implementations, the controlcircuitry may be configured to blend aerosols generated fromsimultaneously heating a plurality of aerosols generated from thedifferent portions of aerosol generating material. For example, thecontrol circuitry may be configured to simultaneously heat a portion ofaerosol generating material which has yet to be aerosolized on oneoccasion (i.e., a “fresh” portion of aerosol generating material) and aportion of aerosol generating material which has been aerosolized on oneoccasion. Operating in this way may enable different tastes orconstituents generated on the first and second occurrences of theaerosolization process to be blended thus resulting in a generallyconsistent experience for the user (except on the first and lastinhalations of the article 4).

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view through a schematic representation ofan aerosol provision system 200 in accordance with another embodiment ofthe disclosure. The aerosol provision system 200 includes componentsthat are broadly similar to those described in relation to FIG. 1 ;however, the reference numbers have been increased by 200. Forefficiency, the components having similar reference numbers should beunderstood to be broadly the same as their counterparts in FIGS. 1 and2A to 2C unless otherwise stated.

The aerosol provision device 202 comprises an outer housing 221, a powersource 222, control circuitry 223, induction work coils 224 a, areceptacle 225, a mouthpiece end 226, an air inlet 227, an air outlet228, a touch-sensitive panel 229, an inhalation sensor 230, and an endof use indicator 231.

The aerosol generating article 204 comprises a carrier component 242,aerosol generating material 244, and susceptor elements 244 b, as shownin more detail in FIGS. 6A to 6C. FIG. 6A is a top-down view of thearticle 4, FIG. 6B is an end-on view along the longitudinal (length)axis of the article 4, and FIG. 6C is a side-on view along the widthaxis of the article 4.

FIGS. 5 and 6 represent an aerosol provision system 200 which usesinduction to heat the aerosol generality material 244 to generate anaerosol for inhalation.

In the described implementation, the aerosol generating component 224 isformed of two parts namely, induction work coils 224 a which are locatedin the aerosol provision device 202 and susceptors 224 b which arelocated in the aerosol generating article 204. Accordingly, in thisdescribed implementation, each aerosol generating component 224comprises elements that are distributed between the aerosol generatingarticle 204 and the aerosol provision device 202.

Induction heating is a process in which an electrically-conductiveobject, referred to as a susceptor, is heated by penetrating the objectwith a varying magnetic field. The process is described by Faraday's lawof induction and Ohm's law. An induction heater may comprise anelectromagnet and a device for passing a varying electrical current,such as an alternating current, through the electromagnet. When theelectromagnet and the object to be heated are suitably relativelypositioned so that the resultant varying magnetic field produced by theelectromagnet penetrates the object, one or more eddy currents aregenerated inside the object. The object has a resistance to the flow ofelectrical currents. Therefore, when such eddy currents are generated inthe object, their flow against the electrical resistance of the objectcauses the object to be heated. This process is called Joule, ohmic, orresistive heating.

A susceptor is material that is heatable by penetration with a varyingmagnetic field, such as an alternating magnetic field. The heatingmaterial may be an electrically-conductive material, so that penetrationthereof with a varying magnetic field causes induction heating of theheating material. The heating material may be magnetic material, so thatpenetration thereof with a varying magnetic field causes magnetichysteresis heating of the heating material. The heating material may beboth electrically-conductive and magnetic, so that the heating materialis heatable by both heating mechanisms.

Magnetic hysteresis heating is a process in which an object made of amagnetic material is heated by penetrating the object with a varyingmagnetic field. A magnetic material can be considered to comprise manyatomic-scale magnets, or magnetic dipoles. When a magnetic fieldpenetrates such material, the magnetic dipoles align with the magneticfield. Therefore, when a varying magnetic field, such as an alternatingmagnetic field, for example as produced by an electromagnet, penetratesthe magnetic material, the orientation of the magnetic dipoles changeswith the varying applied magnetic field. Such magnetic dipolereorientation causes heat to be generated in the magnetic material.

When an object is both electrically-conductive and magnetic,penetrating, the object with a varying magnetic field can cause bothJoule heating and magnetic hysteresis heating in the object. Moreover,the use of magnetic material can strengthen the magnetic field, whichcan intensify the Joule heating.

In the described implementation, the susceptors 224 b are formed from analuminum foil, although it should be appreciated that other metallicandior electrically conductive materials may be used in otherimplementations. As seen in FIG. 6 , the carrier component 242 comprisesa number of susceptors 224 b which correspond in size and location tothe discrete portions of aerosol generating material 244 disposed on thesurface of the carrier component 242, That is, the susceptors 224 b havea similar width and length to the discrete portions of aerosolgenerating material 244. The susceptors are shown embedded in thecarrier component 242. However, in other implementations, the susceptors224 b may be placed on the surface of the carrier component 242.

The aerosol provision device 202 comprises a plurality of induction workcoils 224 a shown schematically in FIG. 5 . The work coils 224 a areshown adjacent the receptacle 225, and are generally flat coils arrangedsuch that the rotational axis about which a given coil is wound extendsinto the receptacle 225 and is broadly perpendicular to the plane of thecarrier component 242 of the article 204. The exact windings are notshown in FIG. 5 and it should be appreciated that any suitable inductioncoil may be used.

The control circuitry 223 comprises a mechanism to generate analternating current which is passed to any one or more of the inductioncoils 224 a. The alternating current generates an alternating magneticfield, as described above, which in turn causes the correspondingsusceptor(s) 224 b to heat up. The heat generated by the susceptor(s)224 b is transferred to the portions of aerosol generating material 244accordingly.

As described above in relation to FIGS. 1 and 2A to 2C, the controlcircuitry 223 is configured to supply current to the work coils 224 a inresponse to receiving signaling from the touch sensitive panel 229and/or the inhalation sensor 230. Any of the techniques for selectingwhich heating elements 24 are heated by control circuitry 23 asdescribed previously may analogously be applied to selecting which workcoils 224 a are energized (and thus which portions of aerosol generatingmaterial 244 are subsequently heated) in response to receiving signalingfrom the touch sensitive panel 229 and/or the inhalation sensor 230 bycontrol circuitry 223 to generate an aerosol for user inhalation.

Although the above has described an induction heating aerosol provisionsystem where the work coils 224 a and susceptors 224 b are distributedbetween the article 204 and device 202, an induction heating aerosolprovision system may be provided where the work coils 224 a andsusceptors 224 b are located solely within the device 202. For example,with reference to FIG. 5 , the susceptors 224 b may be provided abovethe induction work coils 224 a and arranged such that the susceptors 224b contact the lower surface of the carrier component 242 (in ananalogous way to the aerosol provision system 1 shown in FIG. 11 .

Thus, FIG. 5 describes a more concrete implementation where inductionheating may be used in an aerosol provision device 202 to generateaerosol for user inhalation to which the techniques described in thepresent disclosure may be applied.

Although the above has described a system in which an array of aerosolgenerating components 24 (e.g., heater elements) are provided toenergize the discrete portions of aerosol generating material, in otherimplementations, the article 4 and/or an aerosol generating component 24may be configured to move relative to one another. That is, there may befewer aerosol generating components 24 than discrete portions of aerosolgenerating material 44 provided on the carrier component 42 of thearticle 4, such that relative movement of the article 4 and aerosolgenerating components 24 is required in order to be able to individuallyenergize each of the discrete portions of aerosol generating material44. For example, a movable heating element 24 may be provided within thereceptacle 25 such that the heating element 24 may move relative to thereceptacle 25. In this way, the movable heating element 24 can betranslated (e.g., in the width and length directions of the carriercomponent 42) such that the heating element 24 can be aligned withrespective ones of the discrete portions of aerosol generating material44. This approach may reduce the number of aerosol generating components42 required while still offering a similar user experience.

Although the above has described implementations where discrete,spatially distinct portions of aerosol generating material 44 aredeposited on a carrier component 42, it should be appreciated that inother implementations the aerosol generating material may not beprovided in discrete, spatially distinct portions but instead beprovided as a continuous sheet of aerosol generating material 44. Inthese implementations, certain regions of the sheet of aerosolgenerating material 44 may be selectively heated to generate aerosol inbroadly the same manner as described above. However, regardless ofwhether or not the portions are spatially distinct, the presentdisclosure described heating (or otherwise aerosolizing) portions ofaerosol generating material 44. In particular, a region ((correspondingto a portion of aerosol generating material) may be defined on thecontinuous sheet of aerosol generating material based on the dimensionsof the heating element 24 (or more specifically a surface of the heatingelement 24 designed to increase in temperature). In this regard, thecorresponding area of the heating element 24 when projected onto thesheet of aerosol generating material may be considered to define aregion or portion of aerosol generating material. In accordance with thepresent disclosure, each region or portion of aerosol generatingmaterial may have a mass no greater than 20 mg, however the totalcontinuous sheet may have a mass which is greater than 20 mg,. Althoughthe above has described implementations where the device 2 can beconfigured or operated using the touch-sensitive panel 29 mounted on thedevice 2, the device 2 may instead be configured or controlled remotely.For example, the control circuitry 23 may be provided with acorresponding communication circuitry (e.g., Bluetooth) which enablesthe control circuitry 23 to communicate with a remote device such as asmartphone. Accordingly, the touch-sensitive panel 29 may, in effect, beimplemented using an App or the like running on the smartphone. Thesmartphone may then transmit user inputs or configurations to thecontrol circuitry 23, and the control circuitry 23 may be configured tooperate on the basis of the received inputs or configurations.

Although the above has described implementations in which an aerosol isgenerated by energizing (e.g., heating) aerosol generating, material 44which is subsequently inhaled by a user, it should be appreciated insome implementations that the generated aerosol may be passed through orover an aerosol modifying component to modify one or more properties ofthe aerosol before being inhaled by a user. For example, the aerosolprovision device 2, 202 may comprise an air permeable insert (not shown)which is inserted in the airflow path downstream of the aerosolgenerating material 44 (for example, the insert may be positioned in theoutlet 28). The insert may include a material which alters any one ormore of the flavor, temperature, particle size, nicotine concentration,etc. of the aerosol as it passes through the insert before entering theuser's mouth. For example, the insert may include tobacco or treatedtobacco. Such systems may be referred to as hybrid systems. The insertmay include any suitable aerosol modifying material, which may encompassthe aerosol generating materials described above.

Although it has been described above that the heating elements 24 arearranged to provide heat to a portion of aerosol generating material atan operational temperature at which aerosol is generated from theportion (if aerosol generating, material, in some implementations, theheating elements 24 are arranged to pre-heat portions of the aerosolgenerating material to a pre-heat temperature (which is lower than theoperational temperature). At the pre-heat temperature, a lower amount orno aerosol is generated when the portion is heated at the pre-heattemperature. However, a lower amount of energy is required to raise thetemperature of the aerosol generating material from the pre-heattemperature to the operational temperature. This may be particularsuitable for relatively thicker portions of aerosol generating material,e.g., having thicknesses above 400 pm, which require relatively largeramounts of energy to be supplied in order to reach the operationaltemperature. In such implementations, the energy consumption (e.g., fromthe power source 22) may be comparably higher, however.

Although the above has described implementations in which the aerosolprovision device 2 comprises an end of use indicator 31, it should beappreciated that the end of use indicator 31 may be provided by anotherdevice remote from the aerosol provision device 2. For example, in someimplementations, the control circuitry 23 of the aerosol provisiondevice 2 may comprise a communication mechanism which allows datatransfer between the aerosol provision device 2 and a remote device suchas a sraariphone or smart watch, for example. In these implementations,when the control circuitry 23 determines that the article 4 has reachedits end of use, the control circuitry 23 is configured to transmit asignal to the remote device, and the remote device is configured togenerate the alert signal (e.g., using the display of a smartphone).Other remote devices and other mechanisms for generating the alertsignal may be used as described above.

In some implementations, the article 4 may comprise an identifier, suchas a readable bar code or an RI-4D tag or the like, and the aerosolprovision device 2 comprises a corresponding reader. When the article isinserted into the receptacle 25 of the device 2, the device 2 may beconfigured to read the identifier on the article 4. The controlcircuitry 23 may be configured to either recognize the presence of thearticle 4 (and thus permit heating andior reset an end of lifeindicator) or identify the type and/or the location of the portions ofthe aerosol generating material relative to the article 4. This mayaffect which portions the control circuitry 23 aerosolizes and/or theway in which the portions are aerosolized, e.g., via adjusting theaerosol generation temperature and/or heating duration. Any suitabletechnique for recognizing the article 4 may be employed.

In addition, when the portions of aerosol generating material areprovided on a carrier component 42, the portions may, in someimplementations, include weakened regions, e.g., through holes or areasof relatively thinner aerosol generating material, in a directionapproximately perpendicular to the plane of the carrier component 42.This may be the case when the hottest pan of the aerosol generatingmaterial is the arca directly contacting the carrier component (in otherwords, in scenarios where the heat is applied primarily to the surfaceof the aerosol generating material that contacts the carrier component42). Accordingly, the through holes may provide channels for the generated. aerosol to escape and be released. to the environment/the airflow through the device 2 rather than causing a potential build-up ofaerosol between the carrier component 42 and the aerosol generatingmaterial 44. Such build-up of aerosol can reduce the heating efficiencyof the system as the build-up of aerosol can, in some implementations,cause a lifting of the aerosol generating material from the carriercomponent 42 thus decreasing the efficiency of the heat transfer to theaerosol generating material. Each portion of aerosol generating materialmay be provided with one of more weakened regions as appropriate.

Thus, there has been described an aerosol provision device for use withan aerosol generating article comprising aerosol generating material.The aerosol provision device comprises one or more aerosol generatingcomponents arranged to aerosolize different portions of the aerosolgenerating material, and control circuitry for supplying power to theone or more aerosol generating components. The control circuitry isconfigured to perform an aerosolization process on a first portion ofthe aerosol generating material on at least two separate occasions.Accordingly, aerosol can be generated for user inhalation on at leasttwo separate occasions from the same portion of aerosol generatingmaterial, thus permitting greater spatial efficiency. Also described isan aerosol provision system, an aerosol generating article, and a methodfor generating aerosol.

While the above described embodiments have in some respects focused onsome specific example aerosol provision systems, it will be appreciatedthe same principles can be applied for aerosol provision systems usingother technologies. That is to say, the specific manner in which variousaspects of the aerosol provision system function are not dire cdyrelevant to the principles underlying the examples described herein.

In order to address various issues and advance die art, this disclosureshows by way of illustration various embodiments in which the claimedinvention(s) may be practiced. The advantages and features of thedisclosure are of a representative sample of embodiments only, and arenot exhaustive and/or exclusive. They are presented only to assist inunderstanding and to teach the claimed invention(s). It is to beunderstood that advantages, embodiments, examples, functions, features,structures, and/or other aspects of the disclosure are not to beconsidered limitations on the disclosure as defined by the claims orlimitations on equivalents to the claims, and that other embodiments maybe utilized and modifications may be made without departing from thescope of the claims, Various embodiments may suitably comprise, consistof, or consist essentially of, various combinations of the disclosedelements, components, features, parts, steps, means, etc. other thanthose specifically described herein, and it will thus be appreciated.that features of the dependent claims may be combined with features ofthe independent claims in combinations other than those explicitly setout in the claims, The disclosure may include other inventions notpresently claimed, but which may be claimed in future.

1. An aerosol provision device for use with an aerosol generating article comprising aerosol generating material, the aerosol provision device comprising: one or more aerosol generating components arranged to aerosolize different portions of the aerosol generating material; and control circuitry for supplying power to the one or more aerosol generating components, wherein the control circuitry is configured to perform an aerosolization process on a first portion of the aerosol generating material on at least two separate occasions.
 2. The aerosol provision device of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is configured to cause aerosolization of one portion of aerosol generating material at any one time.
 3. The aerosol provision device of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is configured to perform an aerosolization process on the first portion of aerosol generating material on two separate occasions.
 4. The aerosol provision device of claim 1, wherein the one or more aerosol generating components are heating elements.
 5. The aerosol provision device of claim 4, wherein the control circuitry is configured to cause heating of a first portion of the aerosol generating material at least on two separate occasions before causing heating of a second portion of the aerosol generating material.
 6. The aerosol provision device of claim 4, wherein the control circuitry is configured to cause sequential heating of each portion of aerosol generating material on one occasion, before causing heating of the first portion of aerosol generating material on a second occasion.
 7. The aerosol provision device of claim 4, wherein the control circuitry is configured to receive a signal signifying a user's intent to generate aerosol, and in response to receiving the signal, cause heating of a portion of the aerosol generating material.
 8. The aerosol provision device of claim 4, wherein the control circuitry is configured to heat the one or more heating elements to a temperature no greater than 350° C.
 9. The aerosol provision device of claim 4, wherein the control circuitry is configured to heat the one or more heating elements to an operational temperature at which aerosol is generated for no longer than 10 consecutive seconds.
 10. The aerosol provision device of claim 4, wherein each heating element has an areal extent no greater than 130 mm².
 11. An aerosol provision system for generating aerosol from an aerosol generating material, wherein the system comprises: an aerosol generating article comprising a plurality of portions of aerosol generating material; one or more aerosol generating components arranged to aerosolize different portions of the aerosol generating material; and control circuitry for supplying power to the one or more aerosol generating components, wherein the control circuitry is configured to perform an aerosolization process on a first portion of the aerosol generating material on at least two separate occasions.
 12. The aerosol provision system of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry is configured to cause aerosolization of one portion of aerosol generating material at any one time.
 13. The aerosol provision system of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry is configured to perform an aerosolization process on the first portion of aerosol generating material on two separate occasions.
 14. The aerosol provision device of claim 11, wherein the one or more aerosol generating components are heating elements having an areal extent no greater than 130 mm².
 15. The aerosol provision system of claim 14, wherein the control circuitry is configured to cause heating of a first portion of the aerosol generating material at least on two separate occasions before causing heating of a second portion of the aerosol generating material.
 16. The aerosol provision system of claim 14, wherein the control circuitry is configured to cause sequential heating of each portion of aerosol generating material on one occasion, before causing heating of the first portion of aerosol generating material on a second occasion.
 17. The aerosol provision device of claim 15, wherein the control circuitry is configured receive a signal signifying a user's intent to generate aerosol, and in response to receiving the signal, cause heating of a portion of the aerosol generating material.
 18. The aerosol provision device of claim 14, wherein the control circuitry is configured to heat the one or more heating elements to a temperature no greater than 350° C. and for no longer than 10 consecutive seconds. 19-20. (canceled)
 21. The aerosol provision device of claim 11, wherein the aerosol generating material is an amorphous solid having a thickness in a range of 0.05 mm to 2 mm.
 22. (canceled)
 23. An aerosol generating article comprising a plurality of portions of aerosol generating material, wherein each of the plurality of portions of aerosol generating material has a thickness of between 0.05 mm to 2 mm. 24-25. (canceled) 